Judge rejects suit by Pa. teacher fired over blog

AP Photo: Matt Rourke

 

Central Bucks, Pa.,  East High School teacher Natalie Munroe is seen while on hold during a phone interview at her attorney's office in Feasterville, Pa., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011.

  By Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a former suburban Philadelphia teacher fired two years ago over a blog in which she called students "disengaged, lazy whiners."

Teacher Natalie Munroe had accused the Central Bucks School District and some administrators of violating her free-speech rights by "harassing and retaliating against her" over the blog.

The Bucks County Courier Times reports that U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe on Friday granted the defendants' motion to dismiss the suit.

The judge ruled that Munroe's blog posts didn't provide enough value to the debate over educational reform to outweigh the district's right to maintain an "efficient" educational environment.

Munroe's attorney Steve Rovner said his client disagreed with the ruling and would appeal to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.